Chapter 597 - 329: "I am Ling Xiaoqing...

In this era, the Doumu Immortal Palace was still a distant legend. One could only find scant records of it in the ancient scriptures treasured by the great powers.

Therefore, even though the celestial phenomena that occurred when it opened startled countless foreign Cultivators, who all rushed over hoping to try their luck, almost no one knew what the inside of these Ancient Immortal Mansion Ruins was really like.

So now, all the foreign Cultivators, including the Female Cultivators from the Ye Family, could only explore the ruins step by step, repeatedly probing and testing in the hopes of finding the correct path.

Casualties were an inevitable part of this process—and they were not light.

In truth, the Female Cultivators of the Ye Family were in a relatively good position. In another pitch-black hall, boundless green smoke filled the space, trapping all the Li Huo Divine Palace Cultivators who had barged inside.

"AH—!"

Following a piercing scream, a dozen or so unlucky disciples from the Divine Palace were dragged from the edge of the crowd into the depths of the roiling green smoke by a mysterious, immense force, never to be seen again.

"...Dammit! How many times has this happened now?"

A middle-aged man in the crowd, who had high cheekbones, a sharp chin, and a grim, cruel face, cursed in frustration.

He wore a black and white Magical Robe, and his Cultivation was at the Void Refining Peak level, on par with the previous Sect Leader, Qin Tiangen.

This man was Qin Tianyang, the younger brother of Qin Tiangen. After his older brother unfortunately perished deep within the Hongmeng Divine Hall, the upper echelons of the Li Huo Divine Palace engaged in a fierce struggle. Following a series of overt and covert power plays and backroom deals, Qin Tianyang ultimately emerged victorious and successfully ascended to the throne of Elder Sect Leader.

At this moment, tens of thousands of Disciples from the Li Huo Divine Palace were gathered together. A Spiritual Treasure shaped like a fiery-red, glazed pagoda hovered in mid-air, releasing over a dozen concentric crimson light screens that protected everyone.

This Spiritual Treasure’s Defense was quite good. As long as they remained within the area covered by the light screens, they were safe. However, the safety of the Disciples who left the light’s protection to scout ahead could not be guaranteed.

The Li Huo Divine Palace had sent a large number of Cultivators this time, but along the way, they had already lost over three hundred members to various accidents, including several Elders at the Nascent Soul Level.

"...Sect Leader, we can’t go on like this."

An Elder with a white beard and hair said with a frown.

The last time, we lost a large number of our people deep within the Hongmeng Divine Hall, which was a significant blow to the Sect. If we once again suffer heavy losses and return empty-handed, the negative repercussions will be immense.

Qin Tianyang shot him a sidelong glance. "Do you have a better idea?"

’I don’t want the Sect’s strength and prestige to suffer a major setback so soon after I’ve taken power. I have to achieve something, and quickly, to justify myself to those old geezers in the Sect.’

...

Across the deep and dark wilderness, a multitude of stars shone brilliantly, their dazzling light flaring up in succession.

Ling Changqing and his female companions were still enthusiastically reaping their good fortune, obtaining a powerful Magical Treasure from time to time.

Although they didn’t think any other Cultivators would barge in, Xue Qingtan still set up a triple-layered Defense Array in the surroundings and arranged for the women to take turns standing guard.

That way, if something unexpected happened, they could respond in time and not leave any openings for outsiders to exploit.

Furthermore, Meng Feiyu announced that once anyone’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit were more than halfway depleted, they must stop temporarily and could only continue after meditating and recovering. None of the women objected.

Such precautions were essential in a strange and dangerous land. Compared to any kind of good fortune, one’s own safety was always paramount.

"...Phew! Finally, something good has arrived!"

The long-legged and radiant Yu Yalan let out a breath, joyfully examining the Bright Red Jade Bracelet she had just obtained. A clear, water-like radiance swirled around it, emitting a majestic pressure.

"Such great luck!"

Beside her, the gentle, serene, and gracefully charming Yu Ruoshuang smiled. Even for her, an item like this was a rare find.

The tall and slender Yu Youqin, whose figure was both seductive and fiery, looked at her younger sister with envy, a little frustrated that she didn’t have such good luck.

Ling Changqing took it to have a look. This Bracelet was also an Early Grade Spiritual Treasure. Besides its formidable defense, it also had a series of other benefits, such as enhancing one’s Blessed Fortune, resisting Heart Demons, and gathering Spiritual Qi to increase Cultivation speed.

"My love, if you like it, why don’t you take it?"

Yu Yalan said softly.

Ling Changqing shook his head and returned the Bracelet to her. "There’s no need. You keep it."

’With my Destiny, it shouldn’t be too hard to get a few suitable Spiritual Treasures. It’s certainly easier for me than for most Cultivators. There’s no need to take my Dao Companions’ opportunities.’

"A Spiritual Artifact again? How infuriating!"

As a bright stream of light fell from the Celestial Vault, Su Qinglian’s slightly annoyed voice rang out. In her hand was a simple, ancient Bronze Talisman.

Her luck seemed to be rather poor this time. She had received Spiritual Artifacts several times in a row, much to the frustration of the Vice Sect Leader of Lu Hua Palace.

"You should keep it,"

the voluptuous and enchanting Meng Feiyu, beautiful to the very bone, said with a grin. "You can save it for your daughter in the future. She’ll definitely love it!"

"Yeah, right!"

Su Qinglian shot her an irritated glare. ’My stomach has been stubbornly quiet. Heaven knows when I’ll ever conceive!’

’And it’s all Ling Changqing’s fault. He has his way with me every single night, so why isn’t there any good news?’

What could Ling Changqing say at this point? He could only play dumb, calmly turning his head to whisper with Xue Qingtan about their plan for distributing the spoils.

「A day and a night passed in the blink of an eye.」

All of his female companions had made some gains. Most of what they found were Spiritual Artifacts, though they also acquired some items at the Magical Treasure level. However, there were only a handful of Spiritual Treasures.

Bai Qingyi obtained a magnificent Phoenix Wing Golden Hairpin, Mu Xinlan received a brightly shining, ancient-styled Jade Zither, and Xue Qingtan got a gold and jade-inlaid Gemstone choker. All of them were at the Early Grade Spiritual Treasure level.

’I’m a bit surprised,’ Ling Changqing thought, ’but then again, Immortal Venerable Doumu was a great Female Cultivator. It makes sense that most of the Spiritual Treasures in her collection would be suited for women.’ That made sense.

"...Qingtan, how many treasures are there in here, exactly?"

After pocketing another set of three exquisitely crafted, golden-glowing Flying Swords of the Absolute grade Treasure Level, Ling Changqing turned to Xue Qingtan and asked.

"There’s no way to count them,"

Xue Qingtan said with a frown. "Every Cultivator can stay in this Treasure Mountain Secret Vault for three days and three nights. How much benefit they can obtain depends entirely on their own abilities.

"As for the number of treasure-hiding stars in the Celestial Vault above, there’s no exact figure."

’In her era, this wilderness had been a slaughterhouse, with bodies strewn everywhere and rivers of blood.’

’Too many Cultivators had poured in at the time, and they all belonged to different factions. As a result, their first instinct upon meeting was to fight to the death; peaceful coexistence was impossible.’

’Even later, under the forceful intervention of several top-tier Great Powers, the numerous Cultivators reluctantly ceased their fighting and used their own methods to gather opportunities. However, whenever a Spiritual Treasure appeared, a bloody struggle for it was inevitable.’

’So in the end, by the time all the opportunities in this place had been carved up, tens of thousands of Cultivators had also been left here forever.’

Fortunately, no outsiders had broken in so far, so Ling Changqing and his female companions could focus on collecting treasures without distraction.

By now, the women had collectively obtained over a thousand items, including Spiritual Artifacts, Magical Treasures, and Spiritual Treasures. About twenty percent of these were Magical Treasures. Ling Changqing himself had acquired several hundred Spiritual Artifacts and Magical Treasures of varying levels, yet the number of stars in the Celestial Vault did not seem to have noticeably decreased.

As the second day and night quietly arrived, a brilliant light flared in the Celestial Vault. A massive, bluish-purple star descended, transforming into a magnificent, resplendent stream of light that fell into Ling Changqing’s hands.

It was a long, elegant, and graceful Longsword, clear as a pool of water. Its dark-gold body had a purplish sheen and exuded a sharpness that was difficult to look at directly. It was called the "Ziyun Liufeng Sword," and it was a Heavy Artifact at the Middle Grade Spiritual Treasure level.

"I knew it! My love’s Destiny is truly unparalleled!"

Bai Qingyi sighed softly in admiration. A Heavy Artifact of this level wouldn’t be considered beneath even a Void Refinement Realm Great Power, and it was a rare treasure even in the vaults of the Dragon Race.

"Excellent!"

Ling Changqing nodded in satisfaction and immediately began to refine the sword and claim it as his own. ’I’m a Sword Cultivator, a Magic Cultivator, and a Body Cultivator all at once,’ he thought. ’Even if I can’t unleash its full power right now, it will still significantly boost my strength.’

Over the next several hours, his female companions each made their own gains. Two more Early Grade Spiritual Treasures appeared: a set consisting of a phoenix crown and wedding veil obtained by Liu Ying Meng Luan, and an exquisite ancient bronze mirror obtained by Xue Qingtan.

Ling Changqing now had a large pile of Upper Grade Magical Treasures and Supreme Treasures. Many were suitable for his own use, including a Magical Robe, a hair crown, a Waistband, and a pair of Boots. It was as if he had received a complete change of wardrobe, and his overall strength increased by a huge margin.

However, on the third day, there was finally some movement at the edge of the wilderness, at the very limit of their vision.

A large group of Female Cultivators slowly appeared. They were dressed in beautiful sapphire-blue gowns, had graceful figures, and carried Magic Swords on their backs. Their faces were breathtakingly beautiful, and they numbered in the tens of thousands.

’Cultivators from Xuannü Palace? This is going to be trouble!’

Ling Changqing couldn’t help but frown.

"Just in case, all sisters should return to the Grotto Heaven Blessed Land first."

Xue Qingtan said with a grave expression, knowing that if outsiders saw and recognized them, the consequences would be extraordinarily troublesome.

So, his female companions all stopped what they were doing, and Ling Changqing brought them into the Grotto Heaven Blessed Land of the Era Star Palace, leaving only himself outside.

A moment later, the large group of Female Cultivators surged over like a tide. The dozen or so leading beauties from Xuannü Palace had already spotted the handsome, purple-robed youth standing in the wilderness.

"Oh? So it’s you?!"

Seeing his appearance, the leading beauty—a commanding and mature woman—was startled at first, but then delight appeared on her face.

She wore a magnificent golden Feathered Robe. Her peerless face was holy and dignified, as exquisite as a painting. Her voluptuous figure was both seductive and fiery, and her long, jade-like legs were astonishingly long.

She was none other than the current Palace Master of Xuannü Palace, Meng Qingyu. She was personally leading her many Disciples into the ruins and had stumbled into this place by chance, never expecting to see the youth who was suspected to be a Child of Destiny.

Ling Changqing smiled and said calmly, "I am Ling Xiaoqing! Greetings, fellow Daoists!"

The Palace Master: "..."